The last convoy of United States troops left Iraq today, entering Kuwait and ending almost nine years of official military presence. Operation Iraqi Freedom lasted eight years, eight months and 25 days. 1.5 million troops served, 4,500 died, and 32,000 were wounded. Cost in Iraqi lives? Pick a number over 100,000.
American troops already withdrawn from Iraq are glad to be home for the holidays, though many will be re-deployed to Afghanistan. But at least Iraq is secure, right?
Not exactly. Iraq’s coalition government is said to be on the brink of collapse. Many believe Iran’s influence will now reach over the border.
And the U.S. is still in Iraq. Not just the DOD Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, the State Department’s largest embassy (with a staff of about 1,800), and an unknown number of mercenary soldiers security contractors from firms like Triple Canopy, Global Strategies Group, and Special Operations Consulting.
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Tags: DOD, foreign policy, Iraq, military, Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. government, victory
December 19, 2011 at 9:32 am
[...] Related: USA Leaves Iraq? [...]
December 23, 2011 at 11:06 am
UPDATES:
The number of U.S. mercenaries still lurking in Iraq is estimated at 5,000 according to Garry Trudeau’s authoritative Doonesberry comic strip.
“No U.S. Troops, But An Army Of Contractors In Iraq,” Tom Bowman, NPR News